When he was in PKR at the time leading to the party polls (before he tossed his hat into the election ring) Zaid Ibrahim was criticised for being erratic because one moment he said he would not challenge the deputy presidential post IF (initially) Nurul Izaah took up the challenge*, then (subsequently) IF Khalid Ibrahim did so, and the next (only when both Nurul and Khalid didn’t) he took up the challenge.

* Azmin Ali went into a panicky tizzy when Nurul casually mentioned her interests, and ‘advised’ Nurul against it because people would talk. Bet you Anwar had a few private words with Nurul

The standard anwaristas' cries against Zaid Ibrahim were his inconsistencies (in supporting Nurul, then Khalid, before standing as a candidate himself), and their accusations unimaginatively attacked Zaid for his lust for power.

But I didn’t see any inconsistency in Zaid’s manoeuvrings. In fact there was a very consistent objective in his support for firstly, Nurul, and subsequently Khalid Ibrahim, before he personally challenged Azmin Ali in the party election. That objective was to prevent Azmin Ali from coasting home on an Anwar-provided free ticket into the deputy president post. He wanted Azmin Ali stopped!

Yes, Zaid was invincibly against Azmin Ali, the man for whom Anwar Ibrahim instructed Nallakaruppan to stand aside in a party VP contest some years back, and which drove Nalla out of the party in angry frustration. Nalla would have easily won that VP position because of the strength of his Indian supporters in PKR.

Subsequently, Zaid resigned from PKR for what he saw as unacceptable, unsalvageable and unforgiveable dodgy party polling to ensure the election victory of a favoured son. And he wasn’t the only one to complain. In another of my January 2011 posts Gobalakrishnan leaves the poison behind I wrote:

So the virtually impossible has happened - Gobalakrishnan, once PKR’s chief bodek-er of Anwar, has resigned from PKR in disgust. Who would have ever predicted this prior to the recent party polls - a poll which had led many party stalwarts as well as notable and neutral socio-political observers to question the integrity of its process.

Silence from the party leaders, or their caught-with-pants-down inability to reply the challenges by the complainants have invited the inevitable destructive implosion.

And instead of pressuring the party leaders to be fully accountable, predictably, the moronic PKR fanatics lambasted Gobala as a snake, frog, UMNO-MIC mole, running dog and with various animal appellations. Will they do likewise to other complainants like Chegubard, Jonson Chong, Mustaffa Kamil as they did to Zaid Ibrahim, Gobala, Nallakaruppan, etc?

Whenever anyone resigns from PKR or Pakatan Rakyat, the opposition supporters always say it is because these people are ex-Umno or ex-Barisan Nasional people; so what do you expect? These ex-Umno or Ex-BN people are not reliable or honest and eventually they betray the opposition cause and go back to their old party, is the argument we are given.

Does this argument apply to all ex-Umno or ex-BN people in the opposition who are yet to leave the opposition to go back to the ruling party?

Anyway, Jonson Chong left just as did Zaid, Gobala and Nalla, and a host of others. Mustaffa Kamil was given a high party post, an act of mollification which incidentally Chegubard resoundingly rejected.

Given this background of unmitigated dissatisfaction, distaste and disgust with the EC-type party elections/management, signaling the utter corrupt rot in the party, do you think a man like Zaid Ibrahim, who could have remain within UMNO as a minister, would consider rejoining PKR?

TMI also reported that: Online portals and blogs including Malaysia Today have claimed the letter was written by Nurul Izzah’s political enemies within PKR following speculation that she would become PR’s future candidate for prime minister.

I’m not in the least surprised at the attempted backstabbbing of Nurul, considering someone in PKR recently framed Chegubard (Badrul Hisham Shahrin) with a falsified twitter. Someone is sh*t scared of Nurul becoming No 1. Oh, PKR is indeed a nest of vipers - the acorn hasn't far from the oak tree.

And just who would be Nurul's political enemies within PKR?

Just go through this post again and you should be able to find the answer.

Monday, December 26, 2011

One of the most troubling observations of Malaysian politics is the cultism of personalities, such as Tun Razak, Dr Mahathir, Anwar Ibrahim and yes, on the opposition side, Lim Kit Siang and Pak Haji Nik Aziz, and subsequently (again but this time on the other side of the political fence) Anwar Ibrahim, wakakaka.

It's troubling because cultism often leads to what I term as ‘Kim-ism’, a word derived from the ‘Great Leader’ (wakakaka) Kim Il Sung, president of North Korea from 1948 to 1994. He was succeeded by his son Kim Jong Il (1994 to 2001), who in turn had been succeeded by his son Kim Jong Un.

Now, would it be wrong for leading politicians to be joined and/or succeeded by their sons/daughters, like Tun Razak was by Najib, Dr Mahathir by Mukhriz, Lim KS by Lim GE, Pak Haji Nik Aziz by Nik Adli (who had the misfortune to be detained for 5 years under ISA for alleged terrorist activities and membership in KMM) and Anwar Ibrahim by Nurul Izzah?

Shall I also add AAB by s-i-l KJ? wakakaka.

Externally, there’s our neighbour Lim Kuan Yew being succeeded by his son Lee Hsien Loong (with another PM Goh CT in between), Soekarno eventually by Megawati, and then there’s the ruling oligarchy of the Philippines which has kept the presidency principally among 3 families.

Even sweetest Aung Sung Suu Kyi is the daughter of Aung San, founder of modern Burma or Myammar.

Sons and daughters (and son-in-laws wakakaka) succeeding their fathers/mothers (and f-i-l) as political leaders are found everywhere, in the USA, Australia, etc and are particularly common in the States of the sub-continent such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

If these sons and daughters are qualified, capable, competent and experienced enough to be political leaders in their own rights, then why not?

But when a young brat is shoved upwards like Kim Jong Un, then it is ‘Kim-ism’. I personally believe Najib being made MB of Pahang at 21 years old was definitely an act of ‘Kim-ism’, though to be fair to him NOW, some 30 over years have since gone by, during which time he was exposed to a variety of political & ministerial positions before assuming the position of PM, not unlike PM Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore.

Najib certainly has the experience and exposure to be PM, thus we should no longer accuse him of benefitting from cultist promotion anymore, though whether he is/will be a good one remains to be seen ...

... which brings us to Nurul Izzah, the so-called Putera Reformasi and beloved icon of the anwaristas.

Many have been the times I read/heard of the preposterous proposals for Nurul to be nominated as the PM of a Pakatan-ruled Malaysia, in the event of the non availability of her father. Those proposals have been so unrealistically moronic, leaving me flabbergasted by the puerile mentality of those blind-as-bats idol-worshippers. Then I could only think of poor hard working, politically far superior Fuziah Salleh, who only lacks the (questionable) pedigree to be considered!

10 days ago, RPK made a far more reasonable proposal to chart Nurul’s progress upwards, one which appears to be practical and not unlike the one Lee Kuan Yew had done for his son Hsien Loong, where the Chosen One is incrementally exposed to various appointments and experiences before finally stepping onto the Hot Seat.

Nurul Izzah must first be groomed and trained for national leadership. In the next election she should contest a state seat, maybe in her ‘home-state’, Penang. Then, if she wins that state seat, she should be made one of the Deputy Chief Ministers, or at the very least a State EXCO Member (State Minister) of an important portfolio.

This will give her the opportunity to learn the ropes. Her job as a state minister would give her the experience she needs to eventually take on the task of a federal minister, or even as one of the Deputy Prime Ministers (assuming by then Malaysia has three Deputy Prime Ministers once Pakatan Rakyat takes over the federal government).

Furthermore, this will also allow Malaysians the opportunity to gauge her performance as a Deputy Chief Minister or a State EXCO member. [...]

Even if Pakatan Rakyat gets to win the next election and gets to form the federal government there is no problem with Nurul Izzah spending a stint in the state government before moving up to the federal government in the 14th General Election -- assuming, of course, Pakatan Rakyat wins the 14th General Election. By then Nurul Izzah will be about 40 or so and at just the right age to take centre stage in the federal government ... [...]

Just as my thought asked ‘why not Selangor State?’ I arrived at RPK’s explanation:

“And why Penang and not Selangor?” you might ask. Well, because Umno is saying that Penang is controlled by the Chinese and with Nurul Izzah as one of the Deputy Chief Ministers she can demonstrate that the Chinese do not control Penang and that Lim Guan Eng is not the dictator who runs Penang like it is his personal kingdom. Furthermore, Nurul Izzah would have no problems working with Guan Eng plus we Malaysians would not be losing any sleep wondering whether she would sell out the opposition and go join Umno. This would put to rest the ‘frog’ issue.

I opine very strongly that RPK’s explanation of why Penang and not Selangor for Nurul has been very poor and unconvincing. May I ask of him:

(1) Does this mean Mansur Othman as DCM Penang cannot 'demonstrate that the Chinese do not control Penang and that Lim Guan Eng is not the dictator who runs Penang like it is his personal kingdom', whereas by some magical man man lai power, Nurul can?

(2) Does that mean Mansur Othman, unlike Nurul, is a potential frog?

Let's be frank here Peter. I believe the real reason why you haven't proposed Nurul for the post of Deputy MB of Selangor (assuming all assumptions for this possibility can become true) is because you know that will embarrass PKR in the eyes of DAP, if we were to recall that Khalid Ibrahim fell so sharply and smartly in line with the ‘no deputy MB for Teresa Kok’“requirement” because he didn’t have the balls and Pakatan heart to insist that she assumed that post – see my post on 24 March 2008 Khalid Ibrahim failed to show resolute leadership?

Thus proposing Nurul as a future deputy MB of Selangor can only bring that spineless acquiescence back into focus.

Peter, you should tell it like it is, rather than come up with such a pathetic excuse (and offend Mansur Othman in the process wakakaka). Sorry matey, you need an occasional rap on your knuckles.

Really, it's the most meaningful and moving Christmas song that I, a former MBS student and Wellesley Church attendee, have heard. The accompanying video clip is an appropriate powerful enhancement of John's reminder to us, and just how so bloody applicable it is in today's world! One of the few songs that have moved me to tears.

And it may explain in some ways why he was on the FBI’s watch list.

Lyrics to his anti-war song

So this is ChristmasAnd what have you doneAnother year overAnd a new one just begun

And so this is ChristmasI hope you have funThe near and the dear oneThe old and the young

A very merry ChristmasAnd a happy New YearLet's hope it's a good oneWithout any fear

And so this is ChristmasFor weak and for strongFor rich and the poor onesThe world is so wrong

And so happy ChristmasFor black and for whiteFor yellow and red onesLet's stop all the fight

A very merry ChristmasAnd a happy New YearLet's hope it's a good oneWithout any fear

And so this is ChristmasAnd what have we doneAnother year overAnd a new one just begun

And so this is ChristmasI hope you have funThe near and the dear oneThe old and the young

A very merry ChristmasAnd a happy New YearLet's hope it's a good oneWithout any fear

Friday, December 23, 2011

According to the Quran, this (socialist) social-welfare fund is intended for acts of Islamic piety to support charitable programs for the well-being of less fortunate fellow Muslims. The aim is of course to promote and preserve social harmony between the wealthy and the poor, an equitable redistribution of wealth, and a sense of solidarity amongst members of the Ummah. And I enthused that according to the Quran, the recipients of zakat marvellously need not only be Muslims.

Even as a non-Muslim I am sure the Quran did not have this purpose in mind when it declared the institution of zakat as one of the 5 pillars of Islam.

Yes, the withdrawn sum was repaid, but suddenly/coincidentally (shades of kuestionable kerbau-ish kondos) I recall a case several years ago, of a general manager of a company using company funds to buy shares for his personal ownership, of course with the intention of paying the withdrawn sum back to the company when 'his' shares made the expected profits. Unfortunately for him, a surprise audit discovered his misuse of the company funds for personal purposes, and he had to resign or face charges of CBT.

Surely zakat has never been meant for such a purpose. I opine strongly that PM Najib must ask Jamil Khir Bahrom and the two senior public servants to resign for procedurally misusing the zakat, especially Che Mat who approved a withdrawal of RM63,650 from it.

And I do wonder about the Selangor case where the zakat collection and its use are now amazingly beyond the preview of the State legislative body, the Exco of democratically elected people’s representatives.

On a slightly separate issue, I also wonder about media reports of a few Muslims who would accept questionable all-expenses-paid trips to Mecca for them to perform the Haj, which conduct by every Muslim represents another pillar of Islam.

Is it halal (kosher) to accept dodgy money (of questionable provenance) and use it to perform the Haj?

An sms-ing Mufti didn’t realize how unwittingly correct he had been when he pompously declared that (words to the effect) unlike the Arab people of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh), Malays are far more special to Islam.

His ‘unwitting’ part is that he has correctly identified some of his Malay cronies as 'special to Islam' because they had, in using such monies to finance their Haj and telling outrageous lies to harm others, knowingly undermined the pillars of Islam a la the JKR-built MRR2.

Some 7,000 cracks were detected in 31 of the the MRR2's 33 pillars. Islam has only 5 pillars.

I wonder whether he will be sms-ing this to his buddy, the solar-powered saviour? Maybe they can blame it on the Christians, Chinese or Charbor (women), or Teresa Kok, Hannah Yeo and Teo Nie Ching wakakaka.

(The Star) - Embattled PAS leader Datuk Dr Hasan Ali has continued his tirade against the party, saying that it has lost sight of the Malays since coming under the Pakatan Rakyat banner.

He said PAS had veered away from its fundamental role as a defender of Islam.

“In the rush to take over Putrajaya, we may end up forgetting our core group of supporters the Malays,” he said in an hour-long interview on TV3's Soal Jawab.

Here’s the solar-powered 'savior' of Malay Unity being confused between the supranational supra-ethnic supra-caste religion of Islam and the Malay race.

He was further quoted as saying: ….. a victory for Pakatan and by extension PAS in the next general election would be meaningless under the current arrangement if nothing was done to uphold the place of Islam, the Malays and the royal institution, three issues which he said formed the core of his political struggles.

Since he has shown no evidence to prove that Pakatan is anti Islam, anti Malays and anti-monarchy (all 3 issues are also UMNO-owned accusations against Pakatan), can we safely conclude he is another of the UMNO noises, albeit a solar-powered one?

Of course he won’t willingly leave PAS because he knows his usefulness to UMNO, like any solar-powered frogs, will be sub-zero the moment he steps into the UMNO shade.

So despite his mAjor disagreement with PAS' political objectives he steels his thick face to be extra thick-skinned and malu-lah, shamelessly stays back in PAS. I can only guess that by remaining in a party which he claims to have a meaningless political objective, he will be able to continue fermenting dissent in that party.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Hasan Ali and Nasharudin Mat Isa are the ‘troublesome duo’, said to be sowing/inciting dissent among PAS party rank and file, because in their troubled minds, PAS as a political party can no longer be trusted due to its alliance with non-Malays in Pakatan when it ought to be safeguarding Malay unity together with UMNO.

PAS insiders accused the two alleged sabotaging troublemakers of being sore losers, the former for losing his Selangor head position and the latter the deputy presidency to non-ulamak Mat Sabu in the last party election.

Politics and religion are very sensitive issues raising complex problems but alas, without objective or model solutions to refer to in order to address those problems.

When objectivity is absent, emotions supposedly carry the required answers, more acutely so when the brains behind the emotions are narrow, intolerant or even bigoted.

I suspect the emotions of Hasan Ali (sorry, can’t tell about Nasharudin) vis-a-vis PAS political status quo in Pakatan are based more on racial considerations than that of religious/righteous propriety. He probably sees things through Malay rather than Muslim eyes.

Between a non-corrupt (mainly non-Malay based) DAP and a corrupt (Malay-based) UMNO, which do you think he prefers as a political ally?

There's no need for us to answer as he has already made known his political position via his pronounced preferred and promoted UMNO-PAS (Malay) Unity.

It seems, like the ancient worshippers of the Golden Calf, he is prepared to lie down together with the cow-head people than with a clean non-corrupt ally of PAS.

(As for) those who took the calf (for worship), surely wrath from their Lord and humiliation shall overtake them, and thus do We recompense the devisers of lies - Qur'an 7:152

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

... once for calling for the death penalty for a demented Indian school bus driver who stopped his bus full of small little girls by the road side in an attempt at raping one of his wee passengers in broad daylight and in the presence of the other girls. Horrendous as the crime was, Karpal Singh shocked me with his demand for capital punishment for the culprit. For more read my last year’s post Overcompensating publicly for personal trials & tribulations, and ...

... a second time when he said (words to the effect) that Zaid Ibrahim cannot be trusted because of Zaid's looks – which to me was a bloody stupid statement.

I was wondering whether to criticise him a 3rd time for chewing Dr Rama up in public, but after assessing the whole situation* I decided Karpal has been absolutely right to do so.

* I trust those who have been criticising me for remaining silent in the issue of DAP’s warlords versus godfathers would appreciate that 2 factors have delayed this post, (a) lack of sufficient information previously for me to make an informed comment and, (b) there were other more interesting topics like a PAS wannabe Kemo Sabe wakakaka.

Now, why won’t I criticise Karpal a 3rd time?

* Note: I have commented adversely against Lim GE (for his opposition to use of nuclear power), Hannah Yeoh (for supporting 916), Perak DAP (for stepping on picture-poster of the frogs), Lim KS (for opening the royal Pandora box in Perak immediately after the 2008 election), etc. Only notable DAP bloke I haven’t criticised is former member Lee Lam Thye (another of my heros), wakakaka.

Initially I thought Karpal Singh was suffering from an idealistic affliction known as ‘fatal purity’, the title of a book by Ruth Scurr brought to my attention by my fellow Penang-lang and erudite writer, Dr Neil Khor, who in a letter to Malaysiakini used that title to describe Ong Tee Keat when he (OTK) was ousted by Chua Soi Lek.

Ruth Scurr’s book was on Maximilien Robespierre, known as 'The Incorruptible' during the French Revolution. Robespierre was such an idealist and frightening zealot during a most repressive period of the Revolution that he sent not only the French nobility to the guillotine but also many of his closest friends and associates, such was his fanaticism to democratic ideals.

Okay, there were far more complex issues affecting Maximilien Robespierre but in my brief and very simplified summary of Scurr’s story, I have made an attempt to draw parallels with Karpal Singh’s behaviour.

As I mentioned many times over, Karpal is the spiritual leader of the DAP, its secular equivalent to PAS’ Mursyidul Am.

He has never hesitated to chew the bottom out of violators of, or deviators from DAP’s ideology of democratic socialism. Some of the pelts hanging on his fence (ignoring BN people) were those of Anwar Ibrahim, Nga, and various other DAP leaders. His latest has been Dr Rama.

At the start I was annoyed with him for dressing down Dr Rama in public, but I soon understand that Karpal wanted to demolish any hubristic (and very damgerous) inclinations of some DAP leaders (not just Dr Rama) from becoming the type of warlords seen in MIC, MCA, UMNO and wakakaka PKR. They won’t be allowed to personally nominate their preferred candidates for elections, more so by unilateral public announcements (via the media), and assume that the party has to accept such fait accompli.

Karpal had to, was forced to publicly reprimand Dr Rama because the object lesson would send a clear message to all DAP regional and sectional leaders that the CEC is the only party body authorised to nominate party candidates for any election, nor would the DAP countenance (BN, PKR-type) 'warlords' telling some poor chaps or lassies to 'stand aside' from election to party posts so that the warlords' blue-eyed boys and gals could be guaranteed ascendancy to the party's upper echelon wakakaka. Like me, my hero is a 'process' person.

And that’s why in my eyes, Karpal Singh is the spiritual leader of DAP, a man who demands, ensures and safeguards party adherence to the ideals of democratic socialism. Otherwise, the party will become just another version of MCA, MIC or PKR.

As for ‘fatal purity’, certainly Karpal upholds ideological 'purity' but he hasn’t sent thousands 'fatally' to the political guillotine. Perhaps Dr Rama might be the first one wakakaka.

Dr Rama made a (excuse the pun) 'fatal' mistake in announcing (like a warlord) the names of some members whom he believed should stand as candidates in the coming election. What he ought to have done was to recommend those names to the CEC, but alas, he is relatively new in DAP and hasn’t quite understand the party can only remain true to and clean in its ideological pursuit if every member complies faithfully with party policies, procedures and process.

But having made a 'fatal' mistake (by party standards), he 'fatally' lacks the ability to swiftly address it. Instead he reacted with a pungent jab at Karpal as being a godfather.

Once the sh*t hits the fan, he made a feeble attempt to ‘half’ apologise to Karpal through vague acknowledgment of his admiration and thanks for his mentor (yes, Karpal was his mentor, having sponsored him into the leadership of the DAP), but like Erich Segal in his book ‘Love Story’, Dr Rama believes ‘love means never having to say sorry’ wakakaka, so he tap-danced around the ‘apology’ word, even defiantly saying he didn’t understand that word.

In defending himself he stated (words to the effect) that he wasn’t just an ordinary person (presumably meaning he is Penang's DCM II, and therefore shouldn't be required to apologise), a pompous declaration testifying to his underlying hubris. I believe such an overly proud man won’t be able to survive any loss of face, despite and in spite of the fact he was wrong to act like a BN/PKR-type of warlord in the first place.

I won’t go into the psychology of upper class Indians here but suffice to say that Dr Rama is probably a bloke who would rather ‘die’ than be humiliated as he believes he will be if he has to apologise for his 'godfather' insult to Karpal (and other senior DAP leaders like Chen Man Hin and Lim KS) and the improper and inappropriate announcement of his supporters’ names as candidates for the next election. Aiyoyo, how can he ever face his machais (acolytes) then?

And that’s why he has stated he is prepared to leave (be expelled from) the DAP (rather than apologise).

In many ways, Dr Rama is like his nemesis, Uthayakumar of Hindraf, both growing much bigger ‘heads’ than they had possessed when they started in the political business.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

….., ‘Malay unity’ was touted when the March 2008 tsunami hit Malaysia and dramatically changed the political landscape. UMNO obviously wanted & was desperate to split the Pakatan camp into Malays and non-Malays. PAS was immensely attracted to the clarion call for Malays from both sides of politics to unite to ensure the continuation of Malay supremacy in federal and state government.

In Selangor the sweetener for PAS was the MB’s post. Recall also the UMNO-PAS meeting at the Terengganu palace, though Nik Aziz stated that he was ambushed by UMNO. Indeed it was only Pak Haji Niz Aziz who put a stop to Pak Haji Hadi Awang and his deputy president Nasharuddin’s keenness to take up UMNO’s appeal for ethnic unity, before the Pakatan ship wrecked itself on hidden rocks by the lure of the siren song.

It’s not an unusual UMNO tactic when they are in political retreat, that of instigating fear among the Malays of the Chinese taking political control of Persekutuan Tanah Melayu, and hatred of same yellow skin peril by reminding the Malays of (true or otherwise) Chinese aggressive economic prowess, avarice, arrogance, rudeness and disrespect to the Malay rulers, etc. There's nothing like instilling a siege mentality a la Fort Apache. Dr Mahathir had taken this path several times.

What made me bring out the above again has been yesterday’s double-talk confession of Dr Hasan Ali who preened and pompously accepted the titillating bait of (UMNO-owned) Utusan Malaysia in conferring upon him the title of the 'saviour' of the Malay-Muslims – see Malaysiakini’s 'Saviour' Hasan to pursue PAS-Umno unity.

But why did I mention ‘double-talk’?

Dr Hasan declared "The very reason for my existence is to unite humans in the worship of Allah."

If so, why not say Muslim Unity or Human Unity?

Also, why did he assert that he would only cooperate with people who promote the interests of Malays, Muslims and the Malay royalty?

Islam is one of the greatest religions of the world, in fact a religion with a socialist bent, though many orthodox/conservative Muslims would baulk at the association of Islam with socialism.

But consider zakat, one of the 5 pillars of Islam.

Muslims consider zakat as an act of piety where they could show charitable concerns for the well-being of less fortunate fellow Muslims. The aim is of course to promote and preserve social harmony between the wealthy and the poor, an equitable redistribution of wealth, and a sense of solidarity amongst members of the Ummah.

Marvellously, zakat is not confined to only Muslims because the Quran indicates 8 categories of people (asnaf) who are qualified to receive zakat funds, namely:

(1) Those living in absolute poverty (Al-Fuqarā')(2) Those who cannot meet their basic needs (Al-Masākīn)(3) The zakat collectors themselves (Al-Āmilīna 'Alaihā)(4) People who are non-Muslims, to show them the real spirit of Islam (Al-Mu'allafatu Qulūbuhum)(5) People whom one is attempting to free from slavery or bondage. Also includes paying ransom or blood money (Diyah). (Fir-Riqāb)(6) Those who have incurred overwhelming debts while attempting to satisfy their basic needs (Al-Ghārimīn)(7) Those working for an Islamic cause (Fī Sabīlillāh)(8) Travelers in need (Ibnus-Sabīl)

I wonder whether Category no 4 is ever practised in Malaysia, or for that matter, in any Muslim country.

But why ask about No 4 when we know from the recent accusations against alleged Christian missionary work in Malaysia, that prominent Malaysian Muslim leaders have condemned the zakat authority for neglecting the Muslim poor to an extent that the latter have become willing recipients of Christian charity and thus, by implication, insinuation and insidiousness, potential apostates because of Christian proselytizing.

Leaving that aside, let us turn to India, an ancient land, alas, cursed by the evil of its discriminatory caste system (all purely because of the accidental consequence of birth).

When Islam arrived in India, many Hindus swiftly embraced the great religion (remember: one with a fantastic socialist doctrine) to become Muslims in order to wonderfully rid themselves of their unfortunate unfair and undesired status as lower caste Indians (and that, only because of the accident in birth to certain families). They went from being pariahs to being members of the Ummah.

There is no doubt that Allah swt, being who He is, wants Islam to be a supranational religion, one above race, ethnicity, caste and skin colour.

But then comes along Dr Hasan Ali who promotes not just Muslim unity or Human Unity or Malaysian Unity, but specifically Malay-Muslim Unity, and the position of the Malay royalty, or even more specifically ...

... UMNO-PAS Unity!

I have written on the following observation several times before but I guess there’s no harm reiterating it, that ....

.... the Weltanschauung or worldview of many (though not all) PAS members is more about Malay interests rather than Islam’s per se, and PAS is a Malay (rather than Islamic) political party. Thus we shouldn't be surprised by people like Dr Hasan Ali.

Even a certain remarkable Mufti (who cowardly put the blame for his seditious act on a woman when push came to shove) argued that“the Malays are special because they are related to Islam, unlike the Arabs even though Prophet Muhammad was descended among them” and “We must defend our [Malay] race” (rather than Islam). So much for a Mufti!

Now, can anyone blame me for concluding from Dr Hasan’s political confession that he doesn’t care what the official PAS political ideology is, nor give a sh*t to the repetitive exhortations of Pak Haji Nik Aziz, PAS’ Mursyidul Am, to consider UMNO as PAS’ political enemy?

Of course I'm giving him the max benefit of the doubts, that he is truly devoted to UMNO-PAS unity and not because of the potential of becoming the future MB of an UMNO-PAS ruled Selangor.

Yes, he is basically saying he’s the Kemo Sabe (Lone Ranger) of UMNO-PAS Unity, and to f*s with PAS.

Does such a person deserve to belong to a political party like PAS which, like all political parties, has an official political ideology?

Only PAS can provide the answer.

And finally in closing, are you guys still holding on to ABU, especially those living in Gombak Setia, Selangor? Wakakaka.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is ramping up efforts to wrest Negri Sembilan from Barisan Nasional (BN) in the next general election, with its leaders saying the pact has identified Teluk Kemang MP Datuk Kamarul Baharin Abbas as frontrunner for the mentri besar post.

Even though TMI quoted its source as a “senior PR spokesperson” you can bet your bottom ringgit the conveniently anonymous spokesperson has been from PKR rather than PR.

It’s the usual and very regrettable PKR tactic of using the media to (so they wish) force a fait accompli on its DAP and PAS partners(?). It’s so bloody typical of their avaricious UMNO-like Taikoh wannabe mentality a la Sarawak and Perak all over again.

If we examine the current PR standing in the Negri Sembilan DUN, where the BN forms the ruling majority with 21 ADUNs, PR has 15 ADUNs in opposition, comprising 10 from DAP, 1 from PAS and only 4 from PKR.

Assuming both DAP and PAS retain the same winning seats (i.e. DAP = 10, PAS = 1) and PKR alone reaps the winning minimum swing of all 4 extra seats, the status will see DAP at 10, PAS 1, and PKR with 8. So why should the MB be from PKR? And mind, we are providing the maximum benefit of the doubt to PKR, by assuming DAP and PAS won't make any advance at all in the next NS state elections.

OK, perhaps PR may agree to a PKR person being the future NS MB of the state government as it did in Selangor, but why can’t PKR allow this to evolve from sincere, mature and confidential intra-PR discussions and negotiations? Why must PKR conduct selfish grubby preemptive strikes via the media on its partners?

And if PKR's argument is based on the requirement for the MB to be a Muslim, then we must wait to see whether there will be Muslim DAP ADUNs after the next election? Or, why can’t we nominate a PAS person as MB in the likes of my fave Nizar Jamaluddin?

Quite frankly, I am bloody sick of PKR's old ketuanan, kiasu and khianat-ish habit of bypassing intra-PR negotiations through use of the media to preemptively stake its claim on high powered political positions or committees. It's not a sincere but rather selfish and greedy member of PR and there'll come, must come a stage when DAP and PAS have to get rid of this untrustworthy partner ..... unless of course the sincere democractic elements in PKR make efforts to shed the party of its UMNO stripes (or leopard spots)*.

* I had written before, and very often too, that change in UMNO must come from within, thus similarly (wakakaka), change in PKR must likewise come from within. As an example, PKR members should pause and consider why Gobala, this once die-hard supporter of Anwar Ibrahim, almost of kamikaze-like dedication for the so-called Great Reformer wakakaka, has been attacking his once-idol with such ferocity that he was recently ejected from Parliament for doing so, rather than continue to deceive themselves blind by idiotically dismissing Gobala (and others) as a BN mole or Trojan Horse planted to destroy PKR from within. It’s up to the righteous elements in PKR to deal with this evil corroding poison within their party, that is, if they have the guts, sincerity and righteous belief in true democratic reforms.

Incidentally, in DAP's drive to recruit more Malay members, I urge the party to reconsider and change its policy of not admittedly anyone from a PR party, because I would like to see the DAP wooing and admitting Badrul Hisham Shaharin (Chegubard)) into its ranks, provided Chegubard is no longer a member of PKR.

Once a PKR supreme council member, Chegubard is not in the PKR upper echelon anymore. He’s certainly not in Anwar Ibrahim’s favour nor accepted with professional grace by Anwar’s inner coterie. Chegubard has been highly critical of Anwar and party’s kitchen cabinet, more so during and after the last PKR party polls where he (Chegubard) revealed many alleged untoward happenings during the polls.

Art wrote: … When records show about 80 people in attendance and yet about 800 people voting, surely PKR could expect dissent and resentment from the candidates vying for posts. That is only to be expected.

To top it up, when party outsiders such as Haris Ibrahim could produce ballot papers issued for the party elections, one wonders whether Roy Hodgson is in charge of the ballot papers in PKR. […]

I don't know about how they feel and think. But frankly, in my perception, PKR is so full of crap than it would even dare to admit. And if the farce that PKR calls and labels as party elections is to be a yardstick of its ability to govern this country, I would rather vote for the Siberian Husky in front of my house. And by that, I don't mean to insult the dog.

Post-polling, there was an attempt to ‘mollify’ Chegubard with the post of deputy party sec-gen but he flicked that shallow and insincere appeasement off (there's another nastier word for "shallow and insincere appeasement" wakakaka).

In unequivocal rejection of that offer, Chegubard stated he would not back down from his vows to reform the party “despite attempts by certain quarters (wakakaka) to get rid of him and his supporters. The former PKR supreme council member admitted that he was feeling the pressure from PKR leaders who were unhappy with his vocal approach to rejuvenate democracy and transparency in the party".

Obviously, Chegubard has been and no doubt is still facing regular backstabbing from within his party.

If he is not on the PKR list for the next State and federal election, and he elects to resign from that party, DAP must take the initiative to recruit him. This man with his great values will be a tremendous asset to DAP.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

I wonder whether Najib will seize on AAB’s ‘lost opportunity’ to re-engage with Anwar Ibrahim.

Mind, the political landscape has changed somewhat since April 2006 when I posted A Bridge Too Far - Anwar Ibrahim where I wrote of Anwar’s eagerness to offer his assistance to the AAB government, stating he (Anwar) could draw from his experience in the government, including as finance minister between 1993 and 1998, to resolve the crooked bridge affair with the Sing government.

Anwar had then stated: “I would not discount any possible meeting with Abdullah if he were to ask my views on the issues ... like the negotiations with Singapore on the bridge and even information on the negotiations with Indonesia on border issues.”

Anwar is now de facto leader of Pakatan with the potential to seize majority rule from UMNO in the next GE, though I personally have some qualms about its realization even if Pakatan indeed were to win the majority of federal parliamentary seats in the 13th GE.

I worry principally about the continuing cohesion of the loose alliance because of the greater potential for PAS to renege on its Pakatan partners in the name of Muslim Unity (with UMNO) and the prospect (quid pro quo) for implementation of hudud laws in Malaysia's legal system.

Back to Anwar - on his debit sheet, he is personally under imminent threat from the Sodomy II charge.

How will he see the account balance in his political favour should Najib indeed approach him to help solve the resurrected crooked bridge problem with the Sing people?

But in politics as in business (and Malaysian politics is also business), nothing is impossible. The Malays are true masters in the art of court intrigues with their unsurpassed centuries-horned negotiating skills, more so when there will be the attractive sheen of religious teflon coating. And with Ku Li's support, even royal blessings shouldn't be discounted.

I wonder how Najib, Anwar, Dr M (wakakaka) and Ku Li would each see the potential for ‘UMNO Unity’ (including ex UMNO men) in the opportunity presented by the resurrection of the crooked bridge issue?

Monday, December 05, 2011

Today my post is on lost opportunity. Obviously I’m talking about lost political opportunity. Another term for ‘lost opportunity’ would be ‘what if …?’

Probably the most known ‘lost opportunity’ would be that of Ku Li ‘losing’ by 43 delegate votes to Dr M in the 1987 UMNO party election. The accusations were rife about 78 branch delegates, unregistered with the Registrar of Societies and thus illegible to vote, allegedly voting and swinging the outcome in Dr M’s favour. Prior to the election, Ku Li was touted to emerge as victor.

Many have been the wistful philosophizing on ‘what if’ Ku Li had won and became PM of Malaysia 23 years ago?

I suppose his ‘victory’ would have screwed up the UMNO's Da Vinci Code(s)kau kau, because then the RA-H-M-A-N prophecy wouldn’t have been fulfilled wakakaka.

Yup, the UMNO’s Da Vinci Code would have gone R-A-H-R-M-A-N, with Ku Li as the 4th PM, and after him perhaps (we are now deep in Speculation Universe) Musa Hitam, Anwar Ibrahim and of course Najib (or even The Blue-Eyed Boy wakakaka).

Tantalizing thought, isn’t it?

But today’s post is about another, more recent, ‘lost opportunity’, for none other than AAB.

Imagine, he could still be PM today, having kept Pakatan at bay without the 2008 tsunamic disaster for BN.

Anwar has offered assistance to the government, saying he could draw from his experience in the government, including as finance minister between 1993 and 1998. That’s a fantastic CV, man.

Anwar continued: “I would not discount any possible meeting with Abdullah if he were to ask my views on the issues ... like the negotiations with Singapore on the bridge and even information on the negotiations with Indonesia on border issues.”

[…]

Mind you, Anwar assured us his offer does not imply a wish to rejoin UMNO - of course not! Everyone knows the UMNO-led government always gets ‘outsiders’ to negotiate with foreign governments on its behalf.

Alas for him, AAB snubbed him. To many UMNO insiders, Anwar was far too dangerous to allow too close, even for them. Mind you, they have had experience of the way he operated when he was their No 2.

But he’s still trying – his last chance, prior to his Nemesis (Najib) taking over the organization he wants to return to.I wonder whether I ought to feel a lil' sorry for him, with him seeing the UMNO gates gradually drawing shut to him forever more?

Just imagine, if AAB had not snubbed Anwar, and cleverly invited the latter to handle the negotiations with Singapore and also allowed him to re-join UMNO, the following outcome could (I dare not claim ‘would’) have happened:

1) Dr M would have had an attack of apoplexy, especially when Anwar pinpointed him (Dr M) as the culprit for losing the negotiations to Singapore wakakaka.

Anwar said Dr M had only himself to blame for his pet project being scrapped. Anwar claimed he had been privy to information in the early stages of the project, and declared that Dr M made his first blunder when he sent former finance minister Daim Zainudin to negotiate with former Singapore PM LKY over the terms of the project.

He advised: “I would grant the criticism of many that negotiations with Singapore are not always easy. The solution therefore is to send competent people to negotiate. If you send semi-literates to negotiate, we will lose out in the negotiations” …

… wakakaka, because we have to conclude from such a statement that The Great Asian Renaissance Man must have considered Daim a semi-literate.

Whatever, AAB missed/lost the opportunity to use Anwar on the crooked bridge re-negotiations with Singapore to rub that painfully into Dr M’s face. I imagine Dr M would have gone bersek. Perhaps then with AAB at an one-upsmanship advantage, he might possibly have been able to confidently parry away the relentless persecutions by Dr M stemming from the latter's dissatisfaction with the crooked bridge affair.

2) Had AAB invited Anwar to re-join UMNO (a process which I had consistently asserted Anwar was very keen on, at least until Najib took over as party president), perhaps Pakatan might not have done that well in the 2008 GE. There’s no denying that without Anwar, Pakatan in its earliest days would not have remained reasonably cohesive as a formidable alternative to the BN.

3) By getting Anwar to re-join UMNO, there was of course a danger that Anwar might have taken over the party, but the reality was there was already too much of a time gap between the time of Anwar’s expulsion from UMNO and that hypothetical re-joining of UMNO when in His Magnificence's absence, many new powerful UMNO warlords have established party positions and would definitely not permit The Great One to regain his previous party status, as No 2 going on to No 1 wakakaka – such is the nature of the political beast (of any political party, not just UMNO).

Thus by engaging Anwar and allowing him to re-join UMNO, AAB would have made Anwar lose all his political credibility outside UMNO without any visible gain in UMNO, effectively neutering him as a credible political figure in Malaysia.

So, my speculative conclusion is that, had AAB had not lost the opportunity presented by Anwar’s keenness to ‘help’ (wakakaka) with the crooked bridge issue, he could have neutralised both Dr M and Anwar and thus possibly be still PM, without suffering the disastrous 2008 tsunami.

Perhaps his 4th Floor boys (s-i-l and son) should be blamed for his 'lost opportunity'.

Alas, I believe it was a monumental ‘lost opportunity’ in Malaysian politics on a scale as dramatic as that for Ku Li in the 1987 UMNO party crisis.

Maidin:Er … Tan Sri, I hope you don’t mind if I boldly say that my members have been terribly disappointed that we haven’t had a senator appointed in the last exercise, more so when that non-Muslim Nallakarupan has been appointed as one.

LB:Well, give me some justification then to appoint you.

Maidin (smiling):Tan Sri, I know the DAP will be our main threat in GE13 …

LB (in bad mood):SO!

Maidin:We need a strategy to instill fear of the DAP in the heartland.

LB:What the f* kerbau @r$e do you think we’ve been doing at the assembly?

Maidin:Tan Sri, please permit me to say what we have done thus far is not enough - there's not enough hate-fear factor. We need to spread word that Ong Boon Hua has joined the DAP. That’ll surely …..

Maidin:Tan Sri, he's Chin Peng – he has already been made into an object of hate for the heartland; his joining DAP should turn the heartland thoroughly against that party.

LB:Hmmm, I think you may have something there, Maidin my boy, but how the f* sapi sh*t can we get him to do that?

Maidin:Well, we can either publish the usual lies ... er ... I mean, propaganda, or … we can horse trade with Boon Hua.

LB (perplex):How … I mean the latter of course?

Maidin:Tan Sri, we offer him entry into Malaysia; he wants to go back to Teluk Anson … er … I mean Intan to die in his birth place.

Naturally, all this has to be done subtly, as if the DAP, drunk with arrogant expectation that Pakatan will form the next government, is sponsoring him with a condition that he joins the party – we can send our south Thailand experts to do the job, you know, the sex-video Trio.

We'll provide Boon Hua with an application form to join the DAP in Teluk Intan. Once we have the form filled up and signed by him, we'll publish it in UM. Then Karpal Singh and Lim Kit Siang can protest for all we care. And best of all, we needn't honour our pledge to Boon Hua, for the second time.

Maidin (warming up):And this is the clincher, Tan Sri. We'll also spread news that Brother Boon Hua has 'become' a Christian, having joined one of those evangelistic churches that two Chinese bloggers have been raving and condemning some DAP leaders for helping spread their proselytizing Christian faith.

All we'll need to do is just spread the word of Boon Hua’s conversion and those two bloggers, ironically with anti-DAP fervor as evangelistic as the Christian churches they've accused some DAP leaders of belonging to, will eagerly do the rest.

LB (smiling now):Good work, almost-Senator Maidin. Now, all we need is a catchy title or label to highlight the new campaign about that dreaded Communist Christian Chinese.

Maidin:How about “The Last Communist”, implying he was a communist, the last of his kind, because he has turned into an equally dreaded Christian, perhaps even with a solar-powered Malay language Bible?

Maidin:Okay okay Tan Sri, how about “The Last Communalist”, sending the message that though he’s Chinese, he, like the other DAP people, doesn’t want to recognize we are not the nonsensical Bangsa Malaysia but really ethnic-proud Malays, Indian, Chinese, etc like Kadir Jasin, Ridhuan Tee and you, Tan Sri?

My matey Dean Johns reminded me of Indonesians’ dislike (or even hatred) of Malaysians in his Malaysiakini’s column which features Idiocy still rules, ok when he wrote:

Deputy Sports Minister Razali Ibrahim in his statement last week that the hostile reception given by Indonesian fans to Malaysian teams at the SEA Games in Jakarta was because “opposition leaders have been making a beeline for Indonesia to bad mouth our country”.

Of course, Razali Ibrahim's statement would be believable to only, in line with Dean’s theme for this week, his 'idiot' supporters.

Anyway, leaving the home ‘idiots’ aside, Indonesians’ (rather than Indonesia’s) dislike of and for Malaysians has been a long standing state of envy, with that feeling boiling at times over into sheer hatred. But in the final analysis it’s just plain envy of Malaysians’ more fortunate circumstances and affluent lifestyle, sometimes deteriorating into the more emotional ‘jealousy’ against anyone who’s Malaysian.

To put it in the pithy words of Pak Pandai ;-) it’s "Taikoh with a wee weenie being green-eyed about Adik with the humongous ‘adik’" wakakaka.

By population size, Indonesia is the world’s 5th biggest country after China, India, USA and Russia. It’s natural resources - oil, timber, minerals, agricultural land, fishery, its land and sea mass - and its human resource would make even the richest nation in the world easily envious of Indonesia, ...

... but – and as a salutary lesson to Malaysia – Indonesia has been buggered by corrupt leaders for 60 over years, since 1945, to such an extent that today its most notable (and probably, like the Philippines, biggest) export to the Gulf countries and, malulah, Adik Malaysia has been its women, to serve as maids to foreigners.

Malaysia is just a dozen years behind Indonesia in being her own master of affairs, though thanks to leaders like Tunku and the earlier PMs, may be said to be racked by corruption for a far shorter period than that suffered by our neighbour (even with the difference of 12 years taken into account).

Very much to Indonesians’ chagrin, Adik Malaysia, apart from emerging even stronger from the trials, tribulations and trauma of Konfrontasi, has been doing very much better. Thus, when Malaysia’s relative superiority in economy, affluence and lifestyle is realized by Indonesians, the fact becomes unbelievable, unbearable, unacceptable and, in moments of stress and national hurt (like when losing islands and badminton & soccer matches), would easily provoke them into hatred for those (in their troubled minds) adiks, the lil’ buggers living just north of equally puny lil’ Tionghua Singapore.

Years ago, when I was working in Java, Indonesia, I went to a ramshackle gymnasium for a workout, but wakakaka, mainly to ogle at the nona sweeties (nyonya in Indonesia means a married lady whilst nona is a maiden, thus fair game for blokes like kaytee, unless boyfriend is a silat harimau expert wakakaka).

An Indonesia colleague who had never been north of Java’s shoreline, asked me whether Malaysia possessed facilities like the ramshackle gym, in a condescending tone that left me in no doubt as to his believed superiority I came from a truly ulu (backward) country called Malaysia. The other Indon colleagues who had been to Malaysia were so embarrassed that they walked away immediately, but subsequently apologized to me for their mate’s ‘katak dibawah tempurung’ (frog beneath a coconut shell) mentality.

Just imagine how that tempurung-ed Indon would have felt if the facts about Malaysian-Indonesian relative lifestyle and affluence were made known to him? First, he would probably have rejected them in disbelief, then he would be enviously horrified, and finally he would be a green-eyed monster, perhaps even hating those bloody adik Malaysians.

Our Deputy Sports Minister Razali Ibrahim was thus not only peddling unscrupulous opportunistic political lies to his ‘idiot’ supporters but has been a far more ignorant idiot himself, not unlike that tempurung-ed Indon of my Java experience wakakaka.

Perhaps now would be a timely reminder of where we are going, by recalling that at a time when the only petroleum Malayans (and subsequently Malaysians) knew about was from the gas nozzles of Shell and Mobil petrol stations, Indonesia already had its monopolistic powerful Pertamina, headed by Army General Ibnu Sutowo.

Read this Wikipedia statement about Pertamina’s early history:

For President Suharto and other members of the ruling elite, revenue from Pertamina was "an ongoing source of funding" without accountability: "they ran this cash-cow into the ground, using it for both military and personal ends."

Historian Adrian Vickers describes the endemic corruption at Pertamina: At each stage of the transaction chain somebody was getting a percentage ...

In 1973, the government's ability to borrow money from overseas was constrained, and Pertamina was no longer providing revenues to the state. Instead, the massive enterprise turned out not to be making money, but compiling exponentially large losses. In February 1975, Pertamina could no longer pay its American and Canadian creditors.

Sounds familiar? … unless of course you want to be like what Dean Johns described so succinctly, an 'idiot'.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Much as I may wish, I personally doubt Pakatan will form the next government, EVEN if it wins the majority of the seats in the next general election.

Huh? You may exclaim at kaytee’s strange assertion above.

For a start, I am troubled by many factors – UMNO’s advantage of incumbency, our remarkable EC and other state apparatus (which performance had been amply demonstrated in Perak, Selangor and during the earlier days of the Pakatan-governed Penang), increasingly royal political activitism, the judiciary, etc.

But the most worrying factor has been the centrifugal policies and behaviour of Pakatan itself.

We witnessed a sampling of this in the period of campaigning leading to the last Sarawak state election and its sour-grapes aftermath, PAS increasing reversion to its intrinsic hudud-inclined stripes, as well as in recent remarks by PKR leaders.

The new PKR ethnic hero is Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, its Youth Chief, who has borrowed (or inherited) a leaf from his mother organization, UMNO Youth, by selling his and his party’s appeal on a Malaysian sure-fire best-selling platform, definitely one to warm the cockles of the heartland, namely, Ketuanan Melayu or Malay-supremacy.

While UMNO Youth under KJ has quietened down a wee bit (perhaps because KJ wants to present himself as a less crude and more cosmopolitan politician, or because UMNO Youth has already farmed out its brown-shirts and steel jackboots to Perkasa), PKR Youth has instead eagerly adopted its ethno-centric tactics.

The acorn sure as hell doesn't fall far from the oak tree.

According to Malaysiakini Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin called for a constitutional amendment to state that only a Malay can be appointed prime minister.

Jettisoning his party’s mantra of (wakakaka) reformasi, he justified his ethnocentric persuasion, stating: "The lack of such a constitutional provision allows irresponsible quarters to manipulate Malay anxieties about their future (should a non-Malay be appointed PM). This is because of the suspicions they have of those from other ethnic backgrounds. Such manipulation can cause them to feel unsafe and create tensions. This way, the Malays will always pin their hopes on these so-called Malay champions, who turn out to be the real enemies."

And he comes even complemented with a very supportive BN-type lapdog in the person of his deputy Chan Ming Kai, who stoutly defended his Taikoh’s siren call to the heartland.

The term ‘political prostitute’ was recently aired to pinpoint someone who was usually referred to by the 'whore’ synonym, but I wonder whether we can use this term, ‘prostitute’, as a verb (instead of a noun) to describe Shamsul’s racist proposal, .....

..... that in calling for a policy which is 180-degrees in direction to his party’s claimed ideology, he has 'prostituted' PKR’s credentials for rewards, to shore up his personal popularity (pre-election) as an ethnic warrior and his hope for heartland votes.

We also recall all too well The Great One’s support of Pak Haji Nik Aziz’s proposal to implement hudud in Kelantan. 'The Renaissance Man' became unashamedly 'The Reneging Man', all just for attention because at that time he was racked by anxiety over what he perceived as his diminishing relevancy as Pakatan’s de facto (wakakaka) leader and that of his party in the loose coalition.

Bigotry as a 'whatever it takes' justification to win seems to be a prevalent mentality in PKR, because I recall that in the immediate aftermath of the 2008 elections in Perak, its 'Lost Socialist' demanded, in most unexpected, unbecoming and unbelievable behaviour for a so-called ‘socialist’, that the State exco must be made up of an ethnic composition that was representative of the Perak population by ethnic percentage, meaning the PKR-PAS bloc (effectively PKR) ADUNs should get the lion’s share of the exco position.

So, with such an ethno-centric proclivity in PKR and an equally dismal religio-ethno-centric mentality in PAS, I doubt Pakatan will remain cohesive as an alliance to form a new government even if the component parties manage to resolve the pre-election division of parliamentary seats and win majority rule.

Dr Hasan (PAS Selangor) and the Mufti of 'Malay Unity' may yet realize their dreams.

Do not be surprised by the butterfly metamorphosing into a slug (caterpillar).

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Tell me why I’m not at all surprised by the relevation of Ezam Mohd Noor that former PKR Deputy Chairman Dr Syed Husin had condemned Anwar Ibrahim and Azmin Ali in a private conversation with Ezam (when the latter was still in PKR).

Malaysiakini reported in its Syed Husin: Ezam's throwing up a smokescreen that (BN-appointed) Senator Ezam Mohd Noor, once the right hand man of Anwar Ibrahim (Azmin Ali being the left hand man wakakaka) claimed that … Dr Syed Husin had in frequent chats with him (Ezam) at a favourite restaurant in Petaling Jaya criticized Anwar and Azmin for what he (Syed) perceived as their lavish lifestyles.

Dr Syed defended his snide comments about The Great One and Blue-eyed Boy to MKIN as: “In general, I criticize any and everybody who offends against the unspoken rule against ostentation in their lifestyles. We are fighting for the have-nots in Malaysian society; it requires we be modest in our lifestyles.”

Dr Syed Husin explained that Ezam’s tattling was an attempt to distract from the motive behind Ezam’s departure from PKR, namely good old fashion ‘money’, by positing that he (Ezam) did so because of his dim view of the leadership of Anwar Ibrahim.

MKINI stated that Syed Husin expanded: “I know this is coming down to a ‘I said, he said’ sort of thing but if you look at page 157 of my book, you will find that Hishamuddin Rais says in a letter that he wouldn’t be surprised if Ezam leaves PKR. That letter was written in 2002.”

Whether Hishamuddin Rais was proven to be prophetic is besides the point, because it’s interesting to note Dr Syed hasn’t denied that he had criticized Anwar and Azmin for their lavish lifestyles.

Indeed, Dr Syed has been wise not to as it’s an open secret about the lifestyles of Anwar Ibrahim and Azmin Ali. As they say, “Once UMNO, always UMNO”.

In fact I would say Dr Syed rather than Ezam in attacking the latter for deserting PKR for money would be the one attempting to distract from the fact he held (maybe still does) a very dim view of the lifestyle and leadership of Anwar Ibrahim and his darling boy. Mind, this is not to say Ezam is an angel, but he is no better or worse than Azmin Ali, both being at one time or still, political praetorian guards of The Great One.

Dr Syed Husin was the leader of PRM, once a wonderful socialist like Dr Jeya of PSM until he (Dr Syed) wandered into a wrong camp, a camp with people used to opulent lifestyles totally in contrast to his socialist ways.

I used to respect Dr Syed, even after he led the PRM foolishly into PKR (when fellow socialist DAP would have been the natural choice). Maybe he was like Zaid Ibrahim, believing he could ‘save’ PKR? Who knows?

I admired Dr Syed even more when he graciously declined to accept the PKR’s candidature for the Kota Bahru parliamentary seat, following strong objections from PAS in the person of Pak Haji Nik Aziz. Probably Pak Haji objected to what he saw as a syaitan-ish pinko standing as Pakatan candidate in KB.

But alas, I shed a tear and lost my respect for Dr Syed immediately after his racially-oriented remarks/demands about the composition of the Perak exco following the Pakatan victory in March 2008.

That’s what mixing with the wrong crowd could do to a former socialist.

No doubt every country in the world suffers from corruption, but the difference lies in its degree. Today, Malaysia has reached the level of Zimbabwe, Myanmar, Pakistan and the Philippines of Marcos’ days and India of yonder years, etc.

How did we allow this to happen, when did it begin, but more importantly how can we stop it?

Hudud?

Just look at the corruption in Pakistan and other Middle-Eastern country where hudud is part of their legal system. No man, hudud won't the solution.

Look at that pimple on China’s backside, Hong Kong. Many don’t realize HK’s much vaunted ICAC was patented after Malaysia’s original ACA.

But today the Malaysian ACA or its new named MACC is an obscenity.

We were once the envy of many Asian nations but now, we have become the new laughing stock. Yes, we still have some fat to continue in our merry ways but these are running out soon, which may explain why we see an unrepentant horrendous frenzied scramble for the last dip of the snout in the public trough.

We badly need a modern-day Hang Jebat, one who is pure in his heart, brave and honest.

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

... with apologies to Charles Dickens for misappropriating and paraphrasing the title of his Classic wakakaka.Today I’m talking about the daughters of local politicians, not sons like Mukhriz, Lim GE, Lim Si Pin or Chua Tee Yong, or son-in-law like KJ wakakaka.

But for this post, I’ll limit myself to just two daughters of the two principal political antagonists Dr Mahathir and Anwar Ibrahim, respectively Marina Mahathir and Nuruh Izzah.

First of all, let me be truthful and declare my personal position, that I know Marina through blogging, but alas sob sob sob, not the latter sweetie.

I have also followed Marina’s activities in, firstly, her former role as the Head of Malaysia’s AIDS Foundation, socio-activist in women affairs, a socio-political blogger at her website Rantings byMM, and at her column in The Star, while I cannot but help hearing constantly from the avalanche of adulation, acclaim and accolades for Nurul by her devoted supporters wakakaka.

Marina is of course not a politician, unlike Nurul.

When I think of these two sweeties, I am reminded immediately of the biblical saying that the sins of the father will be visited upon their children for several generations …

Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me – Deuteronomy 5:9

And also from Isaiah:

I will even repay into their bosom, both their own iniquities and the iniquities of their fathers together – Isaiah 65:6-7

… which I opine is utter nonsense on the basis of logic, commonsense and secular justice.

Many of those I know dislike or at best, are suspicious of Marina because of their immense dislike, if not hatred, of Dr Mahathir – hence the biblical quote of 'sins of father visited upon the children' would be most appropriate in Marina’s case.

Okay, I’m sure by now, you would have got it that the “many of those I know” are Pakatan people wakakaka.

By contrast, to these same people, Nurul is virtually the equivalent of Virgin Mary, Jeanne d’Arc and Rosa Parks all rolled into one. They have even proposed (preposterously, if I may add) that should her dad be jailed for Sodomy II, she be selected as the Prime Minister of the new (hoped for) Pakatan government.

Now, I'm willing to accept Dr Wan Azizah as a substitute PM, but young Nurul ...? Puhleeeze lah, but then, such is fanaticism.

As if that was not enough, Nurul has also been conferred the title ‘Princess Reformasi’. That either implies her dad is the Sultan Reformasi wakakaka or worse (what I suspect), she is the PKR’s version of Nyai Loro Kidal, the anwaristas' Goddess of Reformasi, though quite frankly, there is nothing to substantiate or justify the bestowment of that title on her - please explain how she is Princess Reformasi? In fact, I believe Fuziah Salleh, the MP for Kuantan, has done far more as a PKR politician than Nurul.

Mind, I have nothing against Nurul. My criticisms above is directed not at innocent her but rather those mindless muddle-headed Myrmidons of PKR whose adoration, adulation and acclamation for her (because she so happens to be the daughter of The Great One) have been as amaurotic as the Graeae deprived of their sole eye.

There’s no doubt Nurul Izzah has a bright future as a politician. But I cannot bring myself to see her as (the preposterously titled) Princess Reformasi or, gawd, gasp, omigosh, the ‘PM anointed’ in the event her father is not available to head a Pakatan government.

Sorry, I don’t share such a moronic view which would be that exclusively of the anwarista cultists.

OTOH, whatever good Marina Mahathir might have done, they (as well as some UMNO-BN people too) would impute some ignoble motive on her part.

Sometime back, I read an article (somewhere) where the author aired his distrust of Marina’s motive in walking with Bersih 2.0, suggesting she possessed a secret agenda to infiltrate Bersih a la the Trojan Horse to destroy it from within. Well …

Then there were others who questioned her ’enjoyment of the privileges’ of being a PM’s daughter as if she could only be free of guilt if she had chosen someone else to be her parents. Such has been the stupidity of those mindless comments.

And incidentally did Nurul not enjoy the same privileges when Anwar was the powerful rightwing DPM from UMNO? Anwaristas' double standard?

Once when I voiced to an erstwhile (dear) friend wakakaka my admiration for Marina as an advocate for AIDS awareness through her sterling role as President of the Malaysian AIDS Foundation, I received from her a stupid sleazy sickening retort, a non sequitur and puerile revelation that Marina once wore mini-skirts.

Huh and f* cheh, as if that was her sin? Hey, I used to walk around naked, yes, naked … when I was three years old wakakaka.

The vicious malicious tattler backed off when I showed my disgust at such a gross grubby gossipy item. To be frank, I was outraged for two reasons, firstly, WTF has that got to do with her fantabulous role as an activist for AIDS awareness, and secondly (I have to admit) I was personally annoyed in missing seeing her in the mini skirt wakakaka. So I was suffering from mixed feelings, of both anger :( and frustration ;-).

It’s so typically the attitude of those who have been/are very anti Lee Lam Thye, where some PKR people hate this wonderful man who had done more for the common people of KL than they and their loud mouths could ever dream of achieving.

Lee LT is reviled by PKR people because of his post & non-political activities with some government agencies or projects. But the same fuckers remained like mutes when Anwar Ibrahim offered his (unsolicited) services wakakaka to AAB during the crooked bridge controversy – see my postA Bridge Too Far - Anwar Ibrahim.

What f* double-standard hypocrites, those anwaristas.

Today, Marina Mahathir has again shown her bravery, fairness and invincible justice for the underdogs when she stood up for the organizers of Seksualiti Merdeka, who have been mischievously libelled by the mainstream media with the usual msm lies, in their description of Seksualiti Merdeka as a ‘free sex festival’.

I was wondering how long before Marina’s public stand would shame a pro-hudud person to finally come out to declare his stand on Sexsualiti Merdeka, naturally all complete with ‘qualifications’ wakakaka.

[Footnote: when Eli Wong was under tsunamic attack (by the f* usual suspects) for the sins of sneaky shifty sleazy slug who took photos of her while she was innocently asleep, I learnt that a certain ‘someone’ in PKR had then wanted her out as she was seen as an ‘embarrassment’ to him – that f* spineless unconscionable coward]

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

• ‘Unity’ [as in Malay, Muslim unity],• The Chinese or Martians will take over the country [though with nary a mention of millions of illegal Indonesians, Filipinos and Bangladeshis already allowed into our country],• There will be a Christian PM,• They will make Christianity the official religion of Malaysia,• The communists are lurking behind every melati tree in Penang• 2,500,000,000,000,000 Malay Muslims have been converted to Christianity,• A Chinese CM is biadap towards the sultans• Etc etc on such like threats to Malays and Muslims and their raja, agama & adat

I then know UMNO is in deep deep deep political trouble, and more so when Dr Mahathir, its greatest icon since (ironically*) Hang Tuah, has also joined in the scare-mongering, presumably with the ulterior aim of frightening the hell out of the Malays and nurturing an ethno-siege mentality in their psyche, to stampede them towards their only ‘hope’, namely UMNO.

As Samuel Johnson told us more than 200 years ago, patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.

Why has UMNO, in its current battle manoeuvres against Lim GE and DAP Penang, its threat in vogue, considered it has to resort to the ‘last refuge’, an unethical ethnocentric scare-mongering?

In the past, prior to 2009, UMNO had only considered DAP as a kutu Chinese-based party, a MCA problem and certainly not that of UMNO.

Indeed why has UMNO lately become more and more dreadful of a mere kutu Chinese-based party?

Hmmm …

Even a future hope like KJ has sadly succumbed to such shameless guttersnipe slandering. Actually, KJ’s action has shocked me more than any other UMNO sins. Sayang saja!

The latest incident against Lim GE has been by the Mat Rempits. Ayoyo ama, I wonder who in UMNO used to promote them?

Alas for UMNO, it seems Allah swt has not been kind on its actions against Lim Guan Eng.

The more UMNO attacks Lim Guan Eng, directly or indirectly (by persecuting Lim’s 16-year old school boy), by itself or through its agents, Malay and Chinese wakakaka, the more popular Lim becomes, much to the chagrin and anxiety of Penang’s Gerakan and MCA.

It is as if UMNO’s vile, vicious & vitriolic venom is some form of sweet succulent spicy spinach to ‘Popeye’ Lim, turning him super sexy and strong.

But the real answer is of course Penangites have been revolted and repulsed by the incredulous, indecorous, indecent, inexcusable, iniquitous lies propagated by pro UMNO bloggers and the head of UMNO Gelugor Division. Their outrage has been further fuelled by the obvious inaction of the MCMC and Police.

So, is it any wonder that members of Penang’s Gerakan and MCA have been banging their heads on the walls at UMNO’s continuing stupidity in making Lim more and more popular by attacking him with foul flagitious fabrications?

They have been made to vicariously bear the full brunt of Penangites’ contempt and anger for UMNO’s beastly barbarous bullsh*t.

And it’s not as if UMNO fails to understand Penangites aren’t like the good folks of the heartland, where non-heartland Penangites (whether of DAP, MCA, Gerakan or PKR affiliations) already dislike UMNO.

Mind, UMNO doesn’t care two f* about the Chinese and Indian Penangites leaning more and more towards Lim – these voters are known to be lost cause for BN. UMNO is petrified that Malay Penangites will continue swinging over to Lim’s DAP.

Thus UMNO attacks Lim with whatever it can ‘manufacture’ to ensure the heartland does not swing any further towards Lim and the DAP. In the process it knows it is destroying whatever faint hope Gerakan and MCA might have entertained.

Tough, just collateral damage for Gerakan and MCA. When the ship is sinking, it’s every rat for itself …

… which has been why I have often posted that the DAP is not the Gerakan or MCA’s greatest foe. UMNO, their so-called ally, is! wakakaka.

About Me

Just a bloke interested in the socio-political whatnots around the world, particularly those in Malaysia. Loves a laugh or/and story or two, or more, but loves civility and courtesy much more, especially in politics